2026 rates & transfer taxes

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Your monthly payment is the easy part. This one also adds up the transfer tax, notary and agent fees you have to pay in cash on completion day — the number that decides whether you can actually afford the house.

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Payment & purchase costs

€
€

Monthly payment €0 —
Cash needed upfront €0 deposit + one-off costs
One-off purchase costs €0 —
Total interest €0
Loan-to-value 0%

One-off costs breakdown

CostAmount

Total repaid over the full term: €0, assuming the rate stays fixed for the whole period.

Transfer-tax rates verified September 2026. Notary, solicitor, valuation and advice fees are typical market figures, not quotes — ask your own provider for exact amounts. German rates: Grunderwerbsteuer by Bundesland, 3.5% (Bayern) to 6.5% (NRW, Brandenburg, Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein).

Purchase costs by country

CountryTransfer taxTypical total
Germany3.5–6.5%9–12%
Netherlands0 / 2 / 10.4%4–6%
Ireland1% (to €1m)2–3%

Germany is the outlier: buying costs there are among the highest in Europe, and lenders rarely finance them.

See all 16 German states compared →

Can you carry the payment?

Check your net monthly pay first — lenders in all three countries look at net income, not gross.

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Why the upfront number matters more than the rate

A 0.2% difference in interest changes a €320,000 loan by roughly €35 a month. Moving from Bavaria to North Rhine-Westphalia changes the same purchase by €9,600 — payable in cash, on the day, on top of your deposit. That is the gap that stops purchases, not the rate.

  • Germany: no first-time buyer relief exists. A first apartment and a twentieth rental property pay the same Grunderwerbsteuer rate in the same state.
  • Netherlands: the starter exemption is the single biggest saving available — up to €11,100 on a €555,000 home — but it applies only under 35, for own use, and once.
  • Ireland: stamp duty is comparatively light at 1%, which is why Irish buyers feel the deposit rules more than the transaction taxes.

Sources: Grunderwerbsteuer rate tables per Bundesland; Dutch overdrachtsbelasting rules for 2026 including the €555,000 starter threshold; Irish Revenue stamp duty rates for residential property. Verified September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much are the purchase costs when buying a home in Germany?

Budget roughly 9–12% of the purchase price: Grunderwerbsteuer of 3.5% to 6.5% depending on the state, about 1.5% for notary and land registry, and around 3.57% including VAT if an agent is involved on the buyer's side.

Do first-time buyers pay transfer tax in the Netherlands?

Not if they qualify. In 2026, buyers under 35 who will live in the home themselves pay no overdrachtsbelasting on a home valued up to €555,000. Above that value the standard 2% applies to the full price, and buy-to-let purchases are taxed at 10.4%.

What is stamp duty on a house in Ireland?

Residential stamp duty is 1% on the first €1 million, 2% on the portion between €1 million and €1.5 million, and 6% above €1.5 million. First-time buyers of a new build under €500,000 can be exempt entirely.

What interest rate should I use?

Through 2026, fixed rates in Germany have generally sat around 3.5–5%, with the Netherlands closer to 3.5–3.7%. Use your own lender's quote where you have one — the rate offered depends on loan-to-value, the fixed period, and in the Netherlands the energy label of the home.